Defensive Player of the Year: Williams big hit for Mainland

Tuesday

How Kailik Williams earned the nickname “Hit Stick” during his sophomore year is the type of story he’s partial to.Simply, he gave it to himself.“At first, I think people thought I was joking,” Williams said. “They didn’t take it too seriously. I had to go out and prove it.”The term “Hit Stick” comes from the NFL video game Madden, where a player can push up the joystick and deliver a game-changing tackle.As it turns out, Williams couldn’t have picked a better way to describe his career.Mainland’s 6-foot, 180-pound senior linebacker was the top playmaker on one of the state’s best defenses this season, making him a sure pick for the News-Journal’s Defensive Player of the Year honor.“I have no idea what I’m going to do next year without him,” Mainland special teams coordinator Dan Lundy said. “You can’t replace a guy like that. He was special.”Williams finished his final Mainland season with 124 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks and an interception. But, perhaps even more impressive, Williams blocked nine kicks, including six punts, on special teams.“He was just incredible,” Lundy said. “People couldn’t block him.”The Bucs fell to Miami Central 28-15 in the Class 6A state semifinals and still finished the year allowing just 8.6 points per game.Eleven of Mainland’s 14 opponents scored 10 or fewer points, and five didn’t score at all.“I loved being a part of that,” said Williams, who transferred from Seabreeze before the season. “It was fun to play (on that defense).”Williams had 117 tackles for the Sandcrabs as a junior and had major-college interest before he even showed up on Mainland’s campus.Still, coaches and teammates said they couldn’t have predicted this kind of production from the speedy linebacker who used to play defensive back.“I was a little (surprised),” fellow Mainland linebacker Ricky Norris said. “I mean, he was ridiculous. He had a great, great year.”Norris and Williams meshed quickly in the front seven for Mainland and began to push each other. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Brown said the two would compete during games to see who would tally the most tackles.“It was great for them, and it was great for us as a team, too,” Brown said. “They were my anchors on the defense, and their competitiveness rubbed off on their teammates.”Norris barely lost the season battle, notching 117 tackles. They were the third and fourth leading tacklers in the area, and both played key roles on Mainland’s “Special Forces” unit on special teams as well.Lundy said when he shows prospective colleges Williams’ game film, he leads with his blocked kicks.“He has the ability to step in for any college team right now and make an impact there,” Lundy said. “If you watch his film, he does stuff that you can’t explain. He always found a way to do the impossible.”One of those moments came against his former team, Seabreeze, in a 17-0 win on Nov. 1. Williams shed two blockers and sent back a second-quarter punt that handed the Bucs the ball on Seabreeze’s 17. It led to a field goal that gave Mainland a 10-0 lead.“I don’t know how he did it,” Lundy said. “I was asking, ‘Who blocked that kick? Who blocked that kick.’ Sure enough, it was Kailik. I couldn’t believe it.”One thing that doesn’t match Williams’ nickname is his persona. He said he’s never felt comfortable boasting about his accomplishments and isn’t a big talker during games.Williams’ coaches tried to thrust him into a leadership role before realizing the label didn’t fit.“He led by example,” Brown said. “I think guys admired that about him. A lot of that comes from his uncle, (assistant coach) Fred Nolan. He keeps him grounded. Keeps him working hard every day.” Williams said the college process is still fluid at the moment. According to the recruiting website Rivals.com, he holds offers from Boston College, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Middle Tennessee State and South Alabama.Lundy said he thinks Williams could play for any school in the country.“We’re trying to get his name out there even more,” Lundy said. “He’s a great football player and a great kid. Anybody would be lucky to have him.”

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